Computer Science Department Fund

This fund provides money for special opportunities or extraordinary needs.

Faculty and students can travel to a conference to present their research.

Faculty can take part in a special opportunity to update their skills. Professors need to be aware of the latest developments in their field, so that they can pass this knowledge on to their students.

The department can purchase special equipment, test materials, resources, or training modules to help our students attain success and achieve their goals.

These activities and others like them enrich our students immeasurably, enhancing the education they receive at UIS—but we could not do any of them without the discretionary money given to this fund.

Girl Tech Program Fund

Gifts provide support for Girl Tech 2010. Studies show the number of women in higher education in computer science is falling drastically. Girl Tech is geared toward girls in middle school because interest seems to start decreasing around that age. “Explore the Robo-Jungle” will look at the world of autonomous robotics by programming a robot to hop and crawl. “Starring YOU!” will use photos taken during the fun-filled days to create digital movies. “What’s in the Box?” will let participants explore the inside of a computer and learn how they run and how all those parts fit together. “Hi-Tech Design” will allow girls to design a t-shirt from the camp to take home. This year, Girl Tech will also include mini-sessions on a variety of “hot” computer-related topics, such as computer intelligence, creating virtual avatars, cyber safety in social networking and controlling the behavior of artificial life forms.

Jamie Dehner Fund (for equipment)

Provides funds for scholarships and possibly equipment in memory of Jamie Dehner, adjunct faculty member in the Computer Science program. This fund is listed below as well (to show that your gift could also be used for scholarships); all gifts contribute to the same fund to be used at the discretion of the Computer Science Department for either equipment or scholarships.

Scholarship Funds

The Computer Science Department has four targeted scholarship funds. Your gift at any level–$5, $25, $100, or $250–will be added to the amount of the scholarship, either directly for current use scholarships or to the principle of endowed funds. Your gift DOES make a difference; please give to one of these four funds for that reason.

Jamie Dehner Fund (for scholarships)

Provides funds for scholarships and possibly equipment in memory of Jamie Dehner, adjunct faculty member in the Computer Science program. This fund is listed above as well (to show that your gift could also be used for equipment); all gifts contribute to the same fund to be used at the discretion of the Computer Science Department for either equipment or scholarships.

Levi, Ray & Shoup Computer Science Scholarship

Dick Levi, a prominent computer systems businessman, established the Levi, Ray & Shoup Computer Science Scholarship Endowment in 2000. Intended to benefit both UIS students and the computer industry, the scholarship is awarded to a full-time freshman Computer Science major with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and documented financial need. The scholarship can be renewed each year for qualified students. In addition to helping fund a student’s education, the scholarship also adds the recipient to the pool of potential LRS employees.

Rand Linton Megginson Memorial Scholarship

The Rand Linton Megginson Memorial Scholarship was established by Mr. R. Norman Megginson in honor of his son, Rand, who was a Computer Science major when an unexpected tragedy claimed his life in 1996. Before his death, Rand had received an academic scholarship to Millikin University and was named Secretary of its Math and Computer Sciences Club. Applicants for this scholarship should be full-time students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and demonstrated financial need. An expository letter describing the benefit(s) of the scholarship to the applicant is also required. Preference given to students interested in Computer Science or Agriculture.

Treat Family Women in IT Scholarship

Shellie Treat is the Assistant Director of Network Services here at UIS. She oversees the System Support team who is in charge of Active Directory, Exchange, Physical and Virtual Servers, SAN Storage, etc. She began working in Information Technology (IT) when she was only 16. She says that in all her positions and ventures within IT there haven’t been many women working alongside her. “When you meet people at other I.T. events,” Shellie says, “they assume that you are just tagging along with your husband and not actually in the field.” To provide some encouragement and assist with trying to close that gap and stereotype, she and her husband, Tyler, have created a scholarship for women majoring in computer science who are interested in the IT field. They are hoping that others will work with them to increase the size of the scholarship. Please join with them by donating to the scholarship fund.